Detroit Tigers agree on one-year contracts with Duane Below, five other players

DETROIT -- Left-handed starting pitchers Duane Below and Casey Crosby have agreed to terms on one-year contracts with the Detroit Tigers, the team announced Tuesday.

Below and Crosby are expected to compete for the fifth spot in the Tigers rotation later this month and both lacked the required service time to qualify for arbitration.

Also agreeing were right-handers Jose Ortega, Tyler Stohr and Brayan Villarreal, and outfielder Avisail Garcia. All six players are expected to be in attendance when spring training opens later this month.

Salaries jumped up accordingly for the six signed players after the minimum salary for this year went up to $480,000, an increase of 16 percent over last season's $414,000.

There are 16 unsigned players on Detroit’s 40-man roster with fewer than three years of service time and lack negotiating leverage, including outfielders Clete Thomas, Andy Dirks, Brennan Boesch and Austin Jackson. Also unsigned is infielder Danny Worth.